Deputy Superintendent of Police (Town) Ashish Anand said that the accident took place near Gaighat village at around 5 am. "The prison van was carrying two Naxals from Bhagalpur to Sitamarhi court. There were 12 policemen in the van," he added.

In a separate incident, a 13-year-old boy was killed and a minor girl was injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in a village in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Saturday. Police are suspecting that the bomb was planted by Naxals.

The children were playing in an open area when the explosion took place. While the boy, identified as Sumrit, died on spot, the nine-year-old girl, Kavita, is undergoing treatment at Antagarh Hospital.